Suspect Confesses to Killing Retired Secretary Over N3.45 Million Debt in Abeokuta

Saburi Lateef, a 49-year-old transporter also known as Alhaji Oki Osan, allegedly confessed to killing retired civil servant Mrs Adedotun Oluwaseun in her residence at Bode Olude community, Abeokuta. The killing followed a dispute over N3.45 million that Lateef claimed the deceased owed him from the proceeds of his broken-down truck.

Lateef said he sold the truck for N3.5 million, gave N50,000 to workers near where it was parked, and handed the remaining money to Oluwaseun, expecting financial assistance. He alleged that she repeatedly postponed the promised loan and later refused to return the money.

“At the beginning, there was no link to the perpetrator of the act, but the Commissioner of Police, CP Olubode Ojajuni, directed that we should ensure that we do everything possible to unravel the killers.”

According to police sources, Lateef gained access to the residence while Oluwaseun was attending a retirement party for a friend around the Rounder area of Abeokuta. He reportedly removed a burglary-proof fitting from a window to enter the sitting room.

When the woman returned, an argument broke out. Lateef allegedly strangled her and, not convinced she was dead, inflicted multiple machete cuts on her body. He then moved the body to the toilet and placed it on the closet to confirm her death.

The suspect was arrested nearly eight months after the incident, according to Vanguard, while Blueprint Newspapers reported the arrest occurred about 10 months after the murder. Lateef had reportedly visited the deceased’s family to mourn with them after her death.

Oluwaseun’s family denied knowing the suspect or being aware of any financial dealings between him and their mother. Her eldest daughter, Mrs Taiwo Atanda, described the circumstances of her mother’s death as shocking and difficult to comprehend.

The Commissioner of Police, Olubode Ojajuni, directed officers to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing after investigators initially found no clear lead.